"There have been a lot of groundless speculation (about the resumption of the six-nation talks) but the United States has apparently come to pay attention to our position based on a pragmatic solution," said Kim Ryong-Song, a senior cabinet minister heading North Korea's delegation to inter-Korean talks here said.

Less than an hour before the arrival here Tuesday of the five-member North Korean delegation led by Kim, Pyongyang announced that it had agreed to hold a second round of six-nation talks to defuse tensions over its nuclear weapons drive on February 25 in Beijing.

The first round of multilateral talks, which brought together the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and China, took place in Beijing in August last year.

Those talks ended inconclusively with North Korea and the United States at loggerheads over conditions for ending the crisis.

Kim said it was thanks to North Korea's "constant efforts to resolve the issue peacefully" that the second round of six-nation talks could take place.

"But the outcome of the talks will totally depend on whether the United States will come out with a bold decision or not," he said in an apparent reference to Pyongyang's offer to freeze its nuclear activities in return for concessions including economic aid and a non-agression treaty.

Kim's South Korean counterpart, Unification Minister Jeong Se-Hyun, said the three-day inter-Korean talks were buoyed by the North's acceptance of the six-nation talks.

"In the past inter-Korean talks, we have harassed the North side a lot with the nuclear issue, but this time your side made a pre-emptive move," Jeong told Kim in front of journalists.

There were no formal meetings scheduled for Tuesday other than a banquet hosted by South Korean Prime Minister Goh Kun.

The two sides will hold main meetings on Wednesday and Thursday before wrapping up the talks on Friday.

Top of the agenda will be inter-Korean economic exchange and humanitarian issues.

The South Korean side is expected to propose new defense ministers' talks on easing military tension along their common border, where construction of cross-border roads and railways is under way.

The South will also make proposals on the reunions of families separated by the division of Korea and other humanitarian issues, according to unification ministry officials.

North Korea is expected to ask the South for fertilizer and food aid in time for the spring rice-planting season.

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